Ian Bell has admitted he is still struggling to win the respect of the Australian cricket team despite his excellent form for England since the last Ashes series.
The Australians, who today suffered their sixth defeat in a row when they were beaten by Sri Lanka, labelled Bell "The Shermanator" during the last campaign Down Under, when England were crushed 5-0.
Bell showed glimpses of his ability in that series, scoring four half-centuries, and has become a far more accomplished player since but the sense remains that Australia believe he is a man they can dominate.
"I've got to earn that respect," said Bell, who was likened to the geeky character from the American Pie films. "During the last 18 months, I have gone a long way to earning it around the world and this is another step along the way. Hopefully, I can gain respect here. I'm desperate to improve all the time and this series is coming at the right time in my career.
"In the past maybe I haven't played as well as I should against Australia but I hope to start putting performances in against them. I've started to play well under pressure and I hope to do so again in this series.
"The other stuff [the Shermanator] is in the past.
"This is a new series and it is something I am looking forward to getting stuck into."
